ECB Opens Merchant Applications for Its 2027 Digital Euro Pilot

The Eurosystem has opened applications for euro-area e-commerce and mobile-commerce merchants to take part in its digital euro pilot, moving the project into testing at the online checkout layer. Businesses have until 17:00 CET on October 27, 2026 to apply, according to the European Central Bank’s pilot guidance.

The call, launched on September 15, seeks businesses that can accept a beta digital euro for remote purchases in controlled online or mobile settings. It follows the Eurosystem’s earlier selection of payment service providers, shifting the programme from the infrastructure side of the pilot toward merchant acceptance.

Merchant applications target remote checkout payments

The recruitment is directed at merchants operating in the euro area through e-commerce or mobile-commerce channels. Selected businesses would accept the beta digital euro at checkout for remote person-to-business payments, alongside an acquiring pilot payment service provider.

The ECB’s announcement of the call identifies e-commerce and mobile-commerce merchants as the participants sought for the pilot, narrowing the immediate use case to merchant checkout rather than a broad public deployment across every payment setting.

Applicants must submit an application questionnaire, a declaration and supporting evidence to the ECB by the deadline. The materials set out a formal process for businesses seeking a place in the testing phase, rather than an open consumer launch of the digital euro.

The acquiring provider component is central to the design. Merchants are being recruited to test acceptance with a payment service provider already participating in the pilot, linking the customer-facing checkout environment to the provider infrastructure selected by the Eurosystem.

The 2027 beta will test operations and user experience

The pilot is planned to begin in the second half of 2027 and run for 12 months. It will test technical functionality, operational processes and user experience, according to PYMNTS.

Its payment instrument will be a beta digital euro with no legal-tender status. That status frames the exercise as a limited test programme: merchants would be evaluating how acceptance works in controlled remote-commerce environments, including the operational and user-facing elements that arise at checkout.

The stated test areas extend beyond whether the technical system functions: over the year-long pilot, the Eurosystem will be able to observe the processes around it and the experience of the users involved, rather than relying on a one-off demonstration.

For online retailers and mobile-commerce operators, the call therefore concerns participation in a defined beta environment. The ECB has not presented the merchant recruitment as the introduction of a legal-tender payment method.

Merchant recruitment follows selection of 36 payment providers

The ECB selected 36 payment service providers from more than 50 applicants for the pilot. The July ECB announcement said the firms would provide the programme’s payment-provider infrastructure.

The Eurosystem opened its merchant call on September 15 for euro-area e-commerce and mobile-commerce businesses. Selected merchants would accept a beta digital euro at e-commerce or mobile-commerce checkout for remote person-to-business payments alongside an acquiring pilot payment service provider.

Applications are due in October. The pilot is planned for the second half of 2027 and will run for 12 months, leaving the current recruitment focused on participation in a later controlled test rather than immediate acceptance activity.

Disclaimer: This article is provided for informational purposes only. It is not offered or intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.